Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Wed Jun 17, 2015 1:56 pm

For whatever reason, my new mission is life appears to be attracting Hummingbirds.

I put out a feeder at the very end of March. At the end of April, I had a frequent visitor! He/she came often (or perhaps there was more than one?). He was coming regularly for about 2.5 weeks. Then it was like he suddenly disappeared. He would stop in for a short sip maybe every 4 days.

I change the water/sugar mixture at least every 3 days so it doesn't spoil and it is not in direct sunlight. I am thinking that when everyone's flowers started to bloom, the little guy took interest in the flowers for food.

So, I am trying to create a garden to lure the hummingbird in. I started with 2 Lantana plans (Bandana Series, Cherry Sunrise). Perhaps the Lantanas were more for me, because I love the bright vibrant colors! I saw him stop by the Lantanas about 3 times in the month they have been there.

I got a Columbine which never flowered and now I am guessing their season is over.

I got an Agastache Tango plant that I am waiting to bloom.

I got some red salvias. I haven't seen the hummingbird visit those once. Which I'm in disbelief about!

I also bought some Snap Dragons. They have not bloomed yet. I don't know if the Hummers like these. I don't even know what color they will be. If they are red, perhaps I have some hope.

I have been searching for Bee Balms. I have been calling nurseries and everyone is out.

Yesterday I got a FoxGlove. I put red planters outside and my red watering can in an effort to get them to come and explore.

How much do the hummingbirds like FoxGloves?

I know the hummingbird is out there. I am sad that he decreased his visits to my feeder and now I have to figure out how to bribe him back!

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Wed Jun 17, 2015 2:48 pm

Biscuit, hummingbirds are migratory, and you may not have "stayers", but migrants. We have a hummingbird season here in Texas, and it is almost over. Red, inedible things like your watering can may attract a hummer, but it will also discourage the bird from trying other things. Your list of plants is a good one, and hummers will come to snapdragons. Flowers don't necessarily have to be red to attract hummingbirds, nor do they have to be tubular. We have hummingbirds on our flat open rockroses, and also on zinnias. Keep experimenting--the hummingbirds will learn your garden is a feast and come with their friends!

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:44 am

Biscuit, if you are looking for a real hummingbird magnet, search for some Cuphea ignea. It's a tropical but grows very well in your summer climate. Many people in my area are putting them in hanging planters, and then bringing them in for the winter. I myself can't be bothered with that route, and just plant a mass in one bed I have close to my relaxation area.

IME vining flowers are often the best hummingbird attractors. There' s a number of vines with the tubular flowers they like and it puts the flowers right up in their flying zone. The trumpet honeysuckle already mentioned is a good one. It is perennial. There is also an annual vine, very easy to start from seed, called cardinal climber (or closely related cypress vine). I have a trellis on my deck covered in red flowering vines (also scarlet runner beans), which bring the hummingbirds right up on the deck with us. We usually have two pair (you can tell they are different when you see one zoom away from flower or feeder and another zoom in at the same time) and later in the season their babies, so at the end of the season there are hummingbirds around constantly.

It takes patience. You will not have lots the first season you start. It takes them awhile to discover all your plantings. But once you have a pair that has babies born on your property, the babies come back the next year to their home place.

It is an amazing story. These tiny birds travel from your feeder in New York, to winter down in Mexico or Costa Rica. Then they fly all the way back, thousands of miles and in that journey, with no streets or road maps, they find your yard again! http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/humm/Navigation.html

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:50 am

I have read that when honeysuckles are in bloom during June, hummingbirds tend to visit THEM and are less interested in the feeders. In my garden, I get the migratory fly-bys and overnighters in April, then nada until late June-early July when I start seeing them making regular rounds several times a day. They continue to visit until frost.

I can't seem to grow the native wild Aquilegia canadensis either -- they grow for one season and never come back. I have a purplish and pink varieties that I'm not sure are native species.

I planted the native Turk's Cap lilies specifically because I read that hummers like these. Not being sure, I planted them in 4 different places around my garden. It took them a long time to establish and I almost gave up on them, but they have all been blooming for the past three years or so now with more blossoms and additional new shoots coming up in some areas as well.

Salvias -- when I grew them side by side, they preferred Lady in Red (I think coccinea) which looks like the wildflower salvias over the trumpet shaped bedding salvias -- they are different species. Maybe some garden cultivars have had their nectar bred out of them.

They also love pole beans like Purple Podded Pole beans as well as Runner beans, and they do also seem to check out tomato and pepper blossoms. It's possible they are eating the pollen which these blossoms produce in copious amounts when buzzed.

Learning never ends because we can share what we've learned. And in sharing our collective experiences, we gain deeper understanding of what we learned.

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Thu Jun 18, 2015 11:32 am

oh wow! I thank everyone for your responses! The hummingbird that has visited is a male. He has a gorgeous red throat!

When I was searching for bee balms, I was also searching for a Coral Honeysuckle. I had no idea it was a vine. They had other types of honeysuckles but they didn't have Coral. Personally I love bright Coral colors.

I never heard of those firecracker flowers. Now I have so many suggestions and tons to think about! I do have limited space (unfortunately). A vine might be right for me as it will use the verticle space. I would need to get a Trellis.

For now, I hope he will stop by and try the foxglove. I haven't seen any hummers now for a week. I need to work on being patient!

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Thu Jun 18, 2015 3:08 pm

They love all the Rose of Sharon here. I have quite a few and the neighbor has an overgrown 50 ft hedge row. I have counted up to 10 at a time. I'm sure a few were the same ones because they move so fast. It sounds like a war zone from the males fighting over turf. You never know what color they will be since there are many varieties mixed together in the hood. The ROS can be invasive and I pull a lot of them every year and move them to start my own hedge row. IMO they are much easier to control than our native trumpet and honeysuckle.

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:39 pm

I was speaking to someone at work and we started talking about Bee Balms. I was telling her that the nurseries here are all out of Bee Balms and I have been calling around in search of them. She said she had Bee Balms in her garden and she ended up bringing me in 2 of them yesterday. They are in the garden and I hope they will take root. One of the stems bent and is flopping to the side. Not sure what to do about that. poor thing. Hopefully I will get a hummer to visit the bee balms when they blossom!

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:45 pm

In my experience Bee Balm is crazy easy! I wouldn't worry about the bent stem. It might not look great this year but as long as you get the roots going I'm sure you'll have a decent patch of it next year.

Re: Plants attracting Hummingbirds

Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:15 pm

other suggestions from a humming bird enthusiast: glads especially red and orange, akibia(spring), trumpet vine, hardy fuchias, pensimon red or blue, monkey flower, delphinium, hollyhock, cardinal vine, lantana, zinnia, bleeding hearts, lupine, petunia, trumpet honeysuckle, coral bells, agastache among others. Like I said enthusiast. They also need shallow water source, if you want them to hang out at your place. I have one of the very small garden fountains than we fill and plug in for them in the summer. It has a shallow basin on the top and the water circulates around and around so not mosquito problems. The bees also use it.